The wings of the dragon-fly are horny and of iris or golden hues. Sometimes the body is a vivid blue or bright green. Sometimes it is banded or spotted with yellow or scarlet.
The wide wings look like delicate lace spread on a fine frame. A little child who found one of these wings, brought it to me, saying, “I dot a dood piece of lace!”
The head of the dragon-fly is large, and has on each side what you would call a great eye. But like that of the house-fly, this eye is made up of many eyes set so as to seem to be one. I hardly dare tell you how many there are—over twelve thousand! Through these wonderful eyes the light plays and flashes like fire. Between these big eyes three little simple eyes are set in a band across the head.
The dragon-fly has a queer mouth. The jaws are hidden under two thin, skin-like lips. These move up and down as it eats. It does not suck food, like the butterflies and house-flies, but eats after the manner of the beetle.
Thus, you see, the dragon-fly belongs to the great Division of the Eaters, not of the Drinkers. Instead of feeding on nectar, as we would think so lovely a thing should, it eats insects.
All its life long, from the egg, it is always greedy, because it is always hungry. It spends all its time hunting for food. Who could count how many small insects a dragon-fly, eats in his short lifetime?
FOOTNOTES:
[20] See Seaside and Wayside, No. 3.
LESSON XLII.
UNDER THE WATER.